I don't let the fact that I am grammatically challenged stop me from.....

Thursday, September 10, 2015

If she can do it, I can do it.

First, I want to talk about my progress. Because, sometimes, acquaintances bump into me in the street and meekly asked me if I am going to get better. Here's the answer. One year ago, this week I decided it was time to leave the long-term rehab facility that I was festering in because because I became a one person transfer between the bed and the wheelchair. That's right, last August it took two people to move me from one chair to another. Last week, I asked my physical therapist to show me how to use escalator. So don't ask me if I'm going to get better. Ask me how much better I got!

Yeah, lately in my weekly physical therapy sessions my therapist regularly asks me "what do you want to do?" Last week it occurred to me that I haven't been on escalator in 16 months. She said yeah we can do that and will get to go to Fairway. Fairway? Little did I know, that the Rusk Institute for Physical Therapy on 38th St. and 2nd Avenue is probably located further from any public escalator than any other address in Manhattan. So getting there was part of the fun.

Yeah, I made it all the way there, crossing gridlocked intersections and sidewalks that being dug up for the subway that I'll get to use when I'm an old man. And I did it all while Jenna held my cane.

At Fairway the shopping floor is in the basement so the escalator goes down. Shit. That kinda scared me. I am much better it up and down. So we took the elevator down and without much hesitation I got on the up escalator. After three or four times on that trip I realized that I had to do the down. Jenna told me it's the same as going up. Grab the rail step into the middle of the step move forward all the same time. But it was scarier. Then I saw a little ald lady do it.

In a flash I remember the day I taught both my kids to ride their bikes at the same time. First I took out my bike and had them walk both their bikes to Prospect Park. That was an instant disaster. So we returned with just my son the shopping floor is in the basement so's bike and my daughter and I jogged along. After a short time of not so good attempts at riding his bike my daughter took a shot at it. She got on and went about 10 feet. My son saw this and said "Let me try again". He got on his bike and I chased him for about half a mile before he figured out that he could also stop too. Two things happened for him. He needed to see that it could be done and he needed to show to the world that he could do it too. When that frail old lady just stepped onto the escalator without hesitation I followed her. I saw that it could be done and I needed to do it.

When we got a backup to the lobby Jenna asked me if I wanted to do it again. No, it would just be a game going up and down the escalators. I got nothing to prove anymore.

Now, I gotta go to my gym and watch people get on and off of the elliptical machine.

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I have probabally found a thoundsand dollars worth of metrocards, this list starts July 27, 2008

9-14-17 Since the spring I have found about $25 worth of cards. One of them had over $13 on it and I found it on the path along the belt Parkway while running a race there. It was a challenge to bend down and pick it up but I knew it would have value because it was so far from the subway

5-21-16 Found the card at the starting line of the Brooklyn Half. It will work till May 31

12-28-15: found the card on the floor in Sears that will work till January 10

Haven't been in the subway since May and I now pay cash to go on espresso ride

4-20-14: $35

4-11-14: $75

3-25-14: $50

3-2-14: a $35 card and a card that will work till the owner tell the MTA to stop deducting the money from his bank account. Both on the the course of a 5K

3-1-14: $20

2-4-14 $25

1-9-14: $50

12-20-13 $20 and a card that will work till 12-25

12-8-13: $25

12-5-13 $40

10-14-13: $50. (I think they have been cleaning the stations better since the fare went up in the Spring.)

9-16-13: $75 TODAY! mostly on a few recently expired cards.

9-1-13 $20, but I have had to spend $40.

7-17-13" $25 and a card with 6 days left on it.

7-7-13: $50

6-7-63: $15

5-22-13 $65 (one card with $49.05)

5-18-13 $20 (I have just been in the subway less lately)

4-1-13: $50

3-22-13: $30

3-17-13:$25

3-15-13: $30

3-8-13: $25

3-6-13: $35 (and the fact that new card cost an extra $ did not seem to have any effect)

3-1-13: $20 and a card that will last till 3-8

2-22-13: $25

1-27-13: $35 and a card that will work till 2-5 (it only lasted a day)

1-23-13: $40.00

1-14-13: $20

1-3-13: $13.13

12-31-12: $7.00 (It has been a great month)

12-28-12: $30 today!

12-25-12: $21.50 today!

12-24-12: $7.50

12-21-12: $59.00 ($45.25 on one card)

12-19-12: $25 and still riding free.

12-15-12 $50

12-8-12 a card that will work till 12-25

11-28-12: $15

11-26-12: $10.00

11-11-12: $25

10-17-12: $30

10-16-12: $40

10-9-12: $30

10-2-12: $7.50 and an unlimited that will last till 10-20

10-1-12: $25

9-15-12: $25

9-5-12: $25

8-27-12: $35

8-24-12: $40 and a $38 NYC Parking Card.

8-15-12: $25

7-10-12: $20

7-8-12: $50 (and still using unlimiteds)

6-19-12: $25 and I have been using a unlimited monthly since the beginning of June.

5-29-12: $50

5-11-12: $40

5-4-12: $30, and I have been riding free for the past 3 weeks on a monthly that I found

4-20-12: $25

4-5-12: $17 (just today)

4-2-12: $50

3-13-12: $35

2-29-12: $25

2-10-12 $60, been a good few weeks.

2-6-12: A Transit Check card that may work till 5-31 (worked till 2-20)

1-23-12: $40.00 another great day.

1-21-12: $6.00

1-18-12: $40 (today and yesterday!!)

1-16-12: $145. (I lost my cards, found them in the communal laundry room in my apartment building 2 days later.

1-11-12 $50... Yea!

1-2-12 $35 (27.45 on 1 card yesterday)

12-20-11: $45 (been lucky)

12-12-11: $15.00

12-2-11: $10.50

12-1-11: $40.00 ($37.45 on one recently expired card. People bring it to the booth, you can get a new one.)

11-28-11: $20.00

11-17-11: $25 ($14.75 on one card)

11-6-11: $16.00 on 2 cards at about the 10 mile mark of the NYC Marathon.

11-1-11: $15.00

10-23-11: $10.00

10-14-11: $50 it has been a good few weeks and I have been riding for free.

9-25-11: $7 and a card that will last till 10-15 at the 7 mile mark of the NYC Marathon Tune Up.

9-20-11: A card that will last till 9-25!

9-19-11 $15 and bought $40, but I found a student card one of my kids can use.

9-5-11: This week I found about $5.00 but I had to BUY $40.00.

I Been finding less because I have been on the subway less often. Not because cards with value are any more scarce. However, now that I gotta start paying for my kids I can see paying for a fare in my future.